Microsoft Launches iMessage App 'Who's In' For Planning Events With Friends

Microsoft has seen mixed responses when it comes to its social networking ventures. While its professional platforms — LinkedIn and Yammer — have a consistently rising user base, it recently had to shut down its social network for students, Socl. The company has jumped onto the social networking bandwagon once again by launching Wednesday an iMessage app — Who’s In.

The latest messaging app helps in planning events and other outings such as movies and restaurants with friends, all powered by Bing.

Who’s In uses Microsoft's Bing to look up nearby restaurants, movie times, events and attractions, as suggested by sources including Yelp and Trip Advisor.

Users can also create events, specifying a time and location, and then invite members in their iMessage group chat. Everyone in the chat can opt in or out, or suggest alternative plans.

"There's no need to switch between a variety of apps and contacts to get everyone on the same page," the iTunes app description reads. "With Who's In, you can find activities with Bing, suggest times to meet, then sit back as your friends vote for the best option."

The app aims to target Apple users who spend a lot of time SMSing and using iMessage chat to make plans. As of now, the app can only be accessed via iMessage. It comes as a part of Apple’s iMessages chat “micro-platform,” which was introduced last summer as a new feature of iOS 10.

Ironically, Google had launched a social app, Who’s Down, to get friends to hang out together. The app was eventually shut down after reporting poor usage.

This does not mark Microsoft’s entry into iMessage or App Store. Earlier, it had launched iMessage apps for OneDrive, Yammer and Bing, plus a Halo stickers app, and a similarly focused event planning app, called #MovieDate.